1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical path-changing connector for easy optical connection between an optical path-changing device having cores arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally and an external component having cores or optoelectronic converting elements arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the development of optical interconnections for signal transmission inside devices at high density is being pursued vigorously with the aim of developing massively parallel computers for parallel signal processing between high-speed, high-capacity optical communication systems, large numbers of processors, etc. When performing optical interconnections of this kind, processing of transmitted optical signals is carried out by electronic devices. In the interface devices connecting these electronic devices, hybrid optical-electrical devices are required in which optical waveguides, optoelectronic converting elements, large-scale integrated circuits (LSIs), switches, etc., for electronic control, and electric circuits for driving electronic components are combined. In order to achieve high-speed broadband communication systems, in particular, the demand for devices provided with optoelectronic converting elements such as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), laser diodes (LDs), photo diodes (PDs), etc., has risen.
To meet this kind of demand, techniques have been proposed in which optoelectronic converting elements and optical waveguides are optically connected by disposing optical pins with micromirrors on the optoelectronic converting elements, disposing the optical waveguides in an optical printed circuit board, disposing through holes having a similar shape to the optical pins in the optical printed circuit board so as to extend to the optical waveguides, and inserting the optical pins into the through holes. (See Non-Patent Literature 1, for example.)
In this conventional optical path-changing technique, it is possible to prevent reductions in optical connection efficiency between light-emitting elements and the optical waveguides, reductions in optical connection efficiency between the optical waveguides and light-receiving elements, etc., resulting from light emitted from the light-emitting elements into free space or light emitted from the optical waveguides into free space having an angle of radiation and spreading. In addition, optical connection between the optoelectronic converting elements and the optical waveguides can be performed by a similar construction in cases where light enters the optical waveguides from light-emitting elements (optoelectronic converting elements) such as VCSELs, etc., by means of the micromirrors, and also in cases where light is emitted from the optical waveguides toward light-receiving elements (optoelectronic converting elements) such as PDs, etc.
Non-Patent Literature 1: Journal of Japan Institute of Electronics Packaging, Vol. 2, No. 5, pp. 368-372, 1999.
However, in this conventional optical path-changing technique, it is necessary to secure the micromirrored optical pins to each of the optoelectronic converting elements separately, making the manufacturing process complicated and preventing cost reductions from being achieved. Machining of the through holes formed in the optical printed circuit board is difficult, and in particular results in irregularities being formed on side surfaces of the cores of the optical waveguides, reducing optical connection efficiency between the optical waveguides and the optical pins. If the optoelectronic converting elements are arranged two-dimensionally, it is also difficult to fix all of the individual optical pins to the optoelectronic converting elements precisely, giving rise to optical axis misalignment between the optical waveguides and the optical pins, thereby leading to reductions in optical connection efficiency. In addition, pins having different lengths are required in order to optically connect the cores of the optical waveguides arranged two-dimensionally, increasing costs.